NBA playoff races and magic numbers update for April 10, 2015 – CBSSports.com
Nos. 3-5: The Raptors win and the Bulls' collapse vs. the Magic resulted in Toronto pulling back into a tie with Chicago, and as division winner Toronto has tiebreaker. But Chicago played Thursday and got a monster come from behind win vs. the Heat and Toronto didn't play, so guess who's back in the 3-seed? Chicago, just by a hair. Toronto's in the driver seat with a soft schedule. Win out and they could play either Boston, Brooklyn or Milwaukee in the first round. None of those are particularly appealing. Isaiah Thomas would shred the entire Raptors' perimeter defense and the Celtics have bigs to stretch the floor. Brooklyn… well, we saw what happened last year and even without Paul Pierce, just the emotional drag would be unpleasant though you'd have to think Toronto wins either. But they've got to take care of business first, something they've struggled a lot with this season. Milwaukee means a defensive-first team and another meeting with their old friend Jason Kidd.
Wizards: Playoff scenarios with four games left in the regular season – The Washington Post
The Wizards have their biggest problem with the scuffling Raptors. Washington was swept by Toronto in the season series, so in order to jump Toronto in the standings, the Wizards have to finish with a better overall record since the Raptors hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Wizards could be comfortable in a 4-5 matchup with the Raptors, who have lost 15 of their past 24 games.
Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic – Friday, April 10, 2015 – Sportsnet.ca
The Raptors look like they'll again be without All-Star Kyle Lowry, who has sat out nine of the last 10 games due to back spasms. Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan are stepping up offensively in his absence. Williams has averaged 22.0 points and connected on 11 of 24 3-pointers in the last three games, and DeRozan is averaging 28.4 points over the past five. "It felt good to get a win against this team at a critical time for us," said DeRozan, who had seven assists and a season-high three blocks Wednesday. The Raptors are in a tight race with Chicago for the East's third seed and own the tiebreaker should they finish with the same record because they're a division winner. They got some help from the Magic (25-53) on Wednesday with their 105-103 win over the Bulls.
Raptors' Lowry feels 'good enough to play' | Toronto Star
Kyle Lowry was in a lively mood when he sat down to talk with reporters after practice on a sunny Florida afternoon. The all-star of the Raptors backcourt said he spent the team session Thursday pushing his body to the limit, testing his sore back to see whether it is game ready. And it felt good. “My body’s reacting very well to the treatment and the rest and the work I’ve been putting in,” said Lowry, who has been out for nine games due to back spasms. The point guard is listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Magic and, while Lowry says he is ready, he admitted he is taking the time he needs to be sure nothing will be aggravated by making a hasty return for the sake of getting some reps in before the post-season. Lowry tweaked his back March 20 against Minnesota and left the game grimacing. He came back three games later, but lasted just 11 minutes and hasn’t played since. He doesn’t want that recent history repeated.
Raptors at Magic: Friday game preview | Toronto Star
NEED TO KNOW The Magic are on a three-game roll after crawling back from a 15-point hole to upset the Chicago Bulls 105-103 on Wednesday. Shooting guard Victor Oladipo had a big night, with 23 points, including the game-winning layup. Evan Fournier also made his return after missing 17 games with a sore right hip, while veteran Willie Green and forward Devyn Marble sat out with injuries . . . Swiss-born centre Nikola Vucevic is having a great month. He’s averaged 23.8 points and 10.5 boards over four games in April, including a 37-point, 15-rebound showing last week in Minnesota.
Lowry hopes to play against Magic | Raptors | Sports | Toronto Sun
“We’re going to see. We haven’t made that decision yet, whether he’s coming back or not. We’ll see. You’ve got to be careful. It’s more important to have him for the playoffs than it is for (Friday),” Casey said. Toronto takes on Miami on Saturday, then has back-to-backs against Boston and Charlotte to end the season. Lowry won’t have enough runway to get back to peak form for the post-season the way DeMar DeRozan has been able to after sitting out 21 games due to injury earlier in the season. When he first returned, DeRozan struggled through two months of some of the worst play of his career. His shooting was way off, scraping career lows for accuracy, as his body tried to get back in form. At some point though, DeRozan got back to 100% and he has followed an all-star level March with an even more torrid April, ranking fifth in the NBA in scoring over those four games.
Raptors can't look ahead to second round | Raptors | Sports | Toronto Sun
So, why again would meeting the Washington Wizards be a better scenario for the Atlantic Division champs than the reeling Milwaukee Bucks (a bottom-five team since the all-star break)? Just because Toronto has played well against Washington the past two seasons? Well, things change in the playoffs. Experience matters. Milwaukee has none. Washington has a lot. A lot of proven talent too. Like old friend Paul Pierce. And John Wall, who would be the best player on either team, given the fragile health of fellow East all-star starter Kyle Lowry. Like near all-star Marcin Gortat and Nene, who can play like an all-star when he feels up to it. With a run of health, Bradley Beal could be an all-star one day and is probably the best shooter on either squad. Which is probably why Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, who has heard all of the chatter loud and clear, finds it all a bit baffling.
NBA Preview – Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic – Apr 10, 2015 – CBSSports.com
"We started the second quarter and finished the game doing what we wanted to do defensively," Casey said. " … It's a good 'W,' but they had a lot of their guys out. We've got to keep that same focus. Consistency is what we've been building for, we've been trying to get defensively. It's one game, so let's do it again." The Raptors look like they'll again be without All-Star Kyle Lowry, who has sat out nine of the last 10 games due to back spasms. Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan are stepping up offensively in his absence. Williams has averaged 22.0 points and connected on 11 of 24 3-pointers in the last three games, and DeRozan is averaging 28.4 points over the past five. "It felt good to get a win against this team at a critical time for us," said DeRozan, who had seven assists and a season-high three blocks Wednesday.
Toronto named 2nd-most-miserable sports city in North America | Sports | Toronto
The 10 and 3 sports blog has named Toronto the second most-miserable sports city in North America. Hogtown placed second behind Cleveland but ahead of New York City, Houston and Minneapolis, according to the sports website. The site pointed out the Toronto Blue Jays haven't won a World Series since 1993, the Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967 (and haven't won a playoff series since 2004) and that the Toronto Raptors have never won an NBA championship. Mayor John Tory pretended to be miserable when he was asked about the dubious distinction. "What's your point?" Tory snapped. After the laughter died down, Tory stressed he's a Toronto sports fan and won't giving up cheering for the city's teams. "I love all of our sports teams and I want them all to do well," he said. "I'm very optimistic that the Raptors are doing pretty well and the Blue Jays are off to not a bad start – a little bit of a slip-up (Wednesday) night.
Raps G Lowry hopes to return Friday – Article – TSN
Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry says he hopes to return from a back injury against the Orlando Magic on Friday night. According to TSN 1050 Raptors reporter Josh Lewenberg, the All-Star is "officially listed as questionable" and the team will evaluate his condition again Friday and will "continue to be cautious with his return." Lowry missed two games near the end of March with a back ailment before a 10-minute return to action on Mar. 24 against the Detroit Pistons. He has not played since leaving that game early. The Raptors play the Magic on Friday, the Miami Heat on Saturday, the Boston Celtics next Tuesday and the Charlotte Hornets to wrap up the regular season next Wednesday.
